Two Vermont companies battle over woodchucks

Hard cider company suing coffee roaster

Tony Basiliere has brewed his coffee the same meticulous way each morning for more than three decades. Two years ago, he made his hobby his business, founding Woodchuck Coffee Roasters with his brother Jim.

Basiliere is afraid the small company that he operates out of his garage is in danger.

"Honestly, I don't know how we're going to get through it," he said.

The company that makes Woodchuck Hard Cider is suing the coffee roasters for trademark infringement. Officials object to the java company's name and its logo.

"It's the oval, the typeface, the woodchuck on its haunches. It's, we feel, pretty similar," said Nate Formalarie, a spokesman for the Vermont Hard Cider Co., which produces Woodchuck Hard Cider.

In court documents, the company says it has the exclusive rights to a woodchuck" trademark for food and beverages in the U.S. Formalarie said the lawsuit is a matter of protecting its 22-year-old brand.

"If we were to let one go, in other places in the country this could pop up, and because we've shown that we don't go after these things, it would weaken our trademark," he said.

The complaint goes on to allege that the Basiliere brothers piggybacked on the Woodchuck Hard Cider brand to promote their product, but they said that's not true.

They are hoping Woodchuck Coffee Roasters can survive the legal battle.

"We're fragile and we can be crushed easily. To get through this, we're going to need a lot of support," said Basiliere.

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